29 September 2011

Roberts challenged to act on audit report of Rural Fire Service

EMERGENCY Services Minister Neil Roberts has been challenged to finally act on the latest findings from the Auditor-General that the state’s Rural Fire Service remains ‘unsustainable’ because of failure of the Bligh Government to address key legal, financial and planning issues in the QRFS.

LNP Shadow Minister for Emergency Services John-Paul Langbroek said Mr Roberts could no longer play hide and shoot the messenger.

“Neil Roberts now has a chance to prove that he’s not the second laziest Minister in parliament, after Paul Lucas,” Mr Langbroek said.

“After three years of doing nothing and leaving the QFRS in limbo, Mr Roberts must finally act on the findings from the Auditor-General that rural brigades still lack legal status, poor planning and or lack of, poor risk-management procedures and lack of proper access to funding and resourcing for brigades.

“Minister Roberts opening admits he doesn’t make decisions, but he takes the pay of a Minister and it’s past time that he started taking notice of what the Auditor-General reports and recommends – in 2008 and again today.*

“Mr Roberts needs to stop his nasty personal attacks and bitter sniping and urgently redress the lack of ‘financial accountability’ as highlighted by the Auditor-General.

“Mr Roberts should start with page 21 of the Auditor-General’s finding that only 26 per cent of rural brigades attract a levy from their local councils and the Local Area Finance Committee structure did not adequately cover financial audits.

“The Auditor-General remains concerned about decision-making processes and the lack of risk management procedures.

“In 2009 voters gave the already tired Labor Government another chance. What we’ve seen since is broken promises on things like fuel taxes and a failure by people like Neil Roberts to heed earlier warnings about poor decision-making and risk management in his portfolio.

“This tired, 20-year Labor Government has been there too long and they can no longer act on the things that need to be fixed. They got another chance last time. They shouldn’t get another chance at the next election.